Female film directors are underrepresented in Hollywood

But the Sundance survey finds female directors do fare better in independent films

A study commissioned by the Sundance Film Festival and Women in Film has found female directors are undrrepresented in Hollywood.

However, the gender gap is closing in the world of independent film - with equal male and female representation at this year's festival, which started on Thursday.

Overall, the survey found women represented fewer than one-third of the 11,000 directors, writers, producers, cinematographers and editors working on the 820 narrative and documentary films that have appeared at Sundance since 2002.

In Hollywood only 4.4 per cent of the top-grossing Hollywood films were directed by women, with 40 per cent coming through programmes organised by the Sundance Institute.

Female directors were also less likely to employ other women in their productions.

The gender gap in film-making has been an issue of contention for some time. Only one female director, Jane Campion (pictured), has ever won the prestigious Palme d'Or, for her 2009 film Bright Star.

Sundance organisers hope to use the study's results to create mentoring programmes to help increase the number of women working as film directors.

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